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Pistachio Lemon Pound Cake

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes ★★★★★ 1 Reviews Jump to Recipe

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Pistachio Lemon Pound Cake – this pound cake is lemon scented and full of chopped pistachios.

loaf of pistachio lemon pound cake with 2 slices

So – The Amazing Race. Who watches??

It has always been one of my favorite reality shows. But man – sometimes I think that it’s not good for my health.

I will usually watch it at night, and I get so caught up in it that it takes me time to cool down before I can even go to bed. You know how I talked about not being a competitive person?? Maybe this is why!! That show seriously stresses me out!

And can I just say that my husband and I would be horrible on this show. You should have seen us driving in New Jersey before we headed home from NYC. Yikes. Even with GPS. (Granted – those roads in New Jersey make no sense whatsoever. At least we weren’t yelling and screaming at each other!!)

When I get worked up, one thing that will always calm me down is baking. That’s my kind of therapy! Especially when it comes in the form of a pound cake. That has lemon. And TONS of pistachios.

open bag of diamond shelled pistachios

Before we get to the cake, though, let’s talk pistachios. I remember years ago, seeing a recipe that had pistachios in it and wanting to make it. I searched high and low for pistachios, and all I could come up with were the pistachios – in their shells. I painstakingly shelled each of those pistachios for that recipe. And then vowed to never do it again.

Thank goodness I don’t have to do that again!! Diamond Nuts is the first company to market raw, shelled, unsalted pistachios. My life was just made a whole lot easier!! And because they carry the Diamond name, you know they are going to be quality!!

This cake is everything you’d expect from a pound cake, plus more. I had actually just planned to do just a pistachio pound cake, but at the last minute, I decided to throw some lemon in there. Best decision. I only added a little bit of lemon juice and zest, but the flavor definitely comes through. And I have decided that lemons and pistachios are a match made in heaven.

This cake was great the day I made it, but after sitting overnight, it was even better. Even a few days later, it was so good. (Although I could have easily finished it off in a day or two myself!!)

I’m pretty sure this pound cake will be a favorite for years to come!

slice of Pistachio Lemon Pound Cake on brown paper

More Pistachio Favs:

Pistachio Cake
Pistachio Cookies
Coconut and Pistachio Pudding Cake
Creamy Cranberry Pistachio Fudge

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loaf of pistachio lemon pound cake with 2 slices

Pistachio Lemon Pound Cake

★★★★★

5 from 1 review
  • Author: Deborah Harroun
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: One 9x5-inch cake 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

This pound cake is lemon scented and full of chopped pistachios.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cup Diamond pistachios, coarsely chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line with parchment paper. Spray the paper lightly with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating for a full minute between additions. Beat in the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. The mixture may appear curdled, but it will come together.
  3. In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix just until combined. Add half the sour cream and mix just until combined. Add another 1/3 of the flour, then the remaining sour cream, mixing lightly between additions. Fold in the remaining flour by hand. Fold 1 cup of the pistachios into the batter, then pour into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of pistachios on top of the loaf.
  4. Bake until a tester inserted comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Check the loaf after about 45 minutes and cover with foil if the top is getting too brown.
  5. Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes, then carefully pull the cake out of the loaf pan. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  6. This cake is good the first day, but is even better the second day after being stored in an airtight container.

I am in a working relationship with Diamond Nuts, and this post has been sponsored. I’m so glad to be able to work with companies and organizations that I truly believe in. Thank you for supporting them, too.

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Comments

  4. Ginger says

    I made this for my husband’s birthday today. He’s not a big “cake ” fan but loves pistachios, so I thought this would be a win since there is no icing. I didn’t have a lemon, so I skipped the zest. And I used roasted, salted pistachios from Publix (in the cartoons by the fruit) and it was AMAZING! The saltiness of the roasted nuts complimented the sweetness very well. I recommend trying it that way. My hubby was a happy man!

    Reply

    • Deborah says

      I’m so glad it was a hit!! And what a great substitution for someone who doesn’t care for cake. 🙂

      Reply

  10. Sasha says

    This poundcake looks amazing. Lemon desserts are my fave. They’re basically like eating fruit so there’s none of that dessert guilt… right? 😉

    Reply

  11. Q says

    I don’t get nearly as uptight as I did when TAR first started. The fighting, especially in the cars, was horrific. My friend, a well respected travel writer, says it’s the best travel show on any channel. I agree. I also agree that your cake is lovely!!!

    Reply

  12. Joanne says

    I am a HUGE pistachio lover and it always makes me so happy when I can find them pre-shelled! I know I would have a hard time not devouring this cake in one sitting.

    Reply

  13. Chels R. says

    I’ve never watched the Amazing Race, lol! I think it would only fuely my desire to travel the world more. But these pistachios…my goodness! I love!

    Reply

  19. annie @ chase that i love says

    Part of the fun of snacking on pistachios is popping off the shell. But when it comes to baking, popping the shell off is the worst. I kind of want to shove huge slices of this in my face right now. Lemons and pistachios..super combination!

    Reply